


Cycle

by VirgilCanWrite



Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, The Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time, ZelGan - Fandom
Genre: Adventure, Death, F/M, Friendship, Love, Triforce, zelgan
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-09
Updated: 2018-02-11
Packaged: 2018-12-13 08:31:54
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 5,234
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11755998
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VirgilCanWrite/pseuds/VirgilCanWrite
Summary: For centuries, Dragmire has been caught in an endless cycle with the demon Ganon. For hundreds of years, he has wreaked havoc as Ganondorf, only to be killed over and over by Zelda and her Hero of Courage.But now, the cycle has broken...A Legend of Zelda fanfiction- a culmination of Ocarina of Time, the other games' timelines, and Breath of the Wild.





	1. The Cycle Resets

_Power._

Dragmire felt a flood of relief as the Master Sword's blade went through his- Ganon's?- ribs and through their shared heart. The first few deaths had been agonizing, but now he loved it. He loved the cold embrace of death while it lasted.

It only lasted a few moments, though, and then Ganon reset the cycle, and it was time to be resurrected.

 _Just let me die,_  Dragmire pleaded tiredly.  _I don't want to be part of this anymore! Choose a new vessel- let my spirit go! Let me die already!_

Ganon's laugh filled their dark realm as their souls started to merge once more, forming Ganondorf.  _I don't think so. I still need you. Your soul fits me like a glove!_

 _Fuck you._ The curse was the last of the fight Dragmire had in him before giving in to the cycle once more.

 

 

_Courage._

Lief stretched, yawning as he woke from his nap in the stables. He was lying in the hay while his horse finished the oats he had poured in her trough. Cuccos bounced around inside and outside the stables, eating stray oats and insects. On the ground beside him was an ocarina. He picked it up and played a song that drew his horse's attention.

He couldn't remember where he had gotten the ocarina from or when he had learned to play it. It was something that was simply a constant in his life, like his love for wolves and his capabilities as an archer. They were inborn.

After playing songs that felt as if they could guide him through a forest or bring him to a mystical temple, he left the stables and continued his daily chores, occasionally casting a warm glance toward the ranch owner's daughter Malon.

 

 

_Wisdom._

Zelda sat in the castle gardens with her hands folded on her lap, watching a frog swim about in the pond. She felt as if she had sat in that same place many times before, waiting for someone. Then again, it was something she did everyday and her father often came to talk with her when he had finished with the council. Maybe that's why she felt as if she was waiting for someone.

Not just some _one,_ but some _thing_.  _The king from the desert, perhaps?_ she wondered, looking to the window between the courtyard and the throne room. He should have arrived days ago.  _I don't feel like I'm waiting for a person, though... It is more ominous than that..._

She stood and straightened out her skirt. Maybe it was time to stop waiting. The weather was nice, after all. It was a good day to take a walk.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading my first post on Archive of Our Own! I hope you are enjoying the story so far. See you in the next chapter!  
> *Please note that I do not own the art used in this story. It was gathered on DeviantArt and other fan forums. To see full accreditation, please see the Acknowledgements chapter on Cycle on Wattpad (https://www.wattpad.com/story/117431833-cycle). The acknowledgements chapter will be added to this site at a later date.


	2. Upon a Field

"Nng-!" Dragmire cringed and grabbed at his chest.

 _His_  chest.

Holding his breath, not daring to even hope, he carefully pushed himself upright. His weak body protested and his arms trembled ever so slightly, but he was in control of his body. "How...?" he murmured, staring at his hands as he flexed his fingers repeatedly. This wasn't possible. Ganon would never willingly leave him or let him have control. "Ganondorf" was the demon's tool and always had been, ever since this damn cycle had started.

"Where are you, demon?" Dragmire called out shakily, staggering to his feet. His head swam and he felt as if he would collapse if he so much as stepped forward. He coughed and took a few deep breaths before shouting, "Ganon!" No response came.  _Did such a brief moment of defiance free me...?_

Dragmire looked around. Green fields surrounded him. In one direction, he could see the town that stood around Hyrule Castle. On the horizon, he could see the forest where the Deku Tree resided. As he always was, he was back in Hyrule, but  _when_  was it? Where in time had Ganon left him?

Pain shot through him. He gasped and fell to one knee. The pain became agony that was concentrated in his right hand- the hand Ganon usually wielded the Triforce with.

Ganon was still there. If not with him, somewhere nearby, or at least somewhere in Hyrule, and, after so many lifetimes of torment, there was a part of him that didn't want to know where the demon was.

_Have courage._

Dragmire squeezed his hand and stood. The curse of being joined with that demon was his to bear. He had to find Ganon before Ganon found someone else.

 

***

 

 

***

 

The sun felt unusually hot as Dragmire made his way toward Hyrule Castle. It wasn't long before his head started to swim and his limbs trembled with weakness. Without the demon and only faint memories of the time before he was Ganondorf, Dragmire had forgotten how far he could push himself, and his body had reached its limit.

The world took an abrupt and sickening turn before he hit the ground with a muffled  _THUD_. His vision started to swim. The clouds overhead mixed with the blue sky, creating a confusing mix of colors that made his stomach churn.

"Are you all right!?"

He heard the shout, as sudden as his falling over. The voice was faintly familiar, but he couldn't put his finger on why until the woman was kneeling beside him, looking down at him with concern. Guards rushed to her side, surely ready to protect her if "the unusual fallen traveler" moved to attack.

Dragmire blinked, unsure if he was delusional or if it was truly Princess Zelda leaning over him.

She was an adult. Ganon was not with him. Hyrule appeared to be healthy. In all his lifetimes, he had never seen Zelda as an adult before Hyrule was destroyed.

_Where and when am I!?_

"Zelda?" he spoke her name as loudly as he could muster.

She nodded. Her chestnut locks caught the wind and the sun made her sapphire eyes look like blue fire. "Yes, I am Princess Zelda. Are you...?"

The world grew dark before she finished speaking.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize that the first couple chapters are so short, but future updates will be longer. Thank you so much for reading- I hope to see you in the next one!


	3. Acknowledgements

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is a chapter where I link to the artists and writers who have inspired my LoZ story, provided the art that I use, or that have helped me along the way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, friend! I just wanted to let you know that this chapter is purely an Author's Note where I acknowledge other creators and their content. If you'd like to see where you can find some amazing works, feel free to check out the list, but otherwise I hope to see you in the next chapter!

I would like to thank all the artists that create art in the LoZ fandom, especially those who created the pieces used in this work. I do not own any of the art in this story, and if you see one of your pieces, please know that I do not claim to own it in any way. I get many of my images through Google Images, so it is difficult to find the original creators. However, I will do my best to hunt them down when I search for images and will list them below or link them in the comments.

Thank you again to all the artists that created the images in this work, and thank you to the creators of Ocarina of Time and Breath of the Wild for allowing fans to play in their worlds.

 

A big thank you to these artists (I apologize if any of the names change/links expire):

*** TwistedWizzro343 on DeviantArt

*** Sui-yumeshima on DeviantArt

*** Zeldafairy on DeviantArt

*** Ask Ganondorf on Tumblr

*** warningyou on DeviantArt

 

A special thank you to  **FigmentForms** on Tumblr, who also has her own fanfiction that I greatly enjoy **(http://figmentforms.tumblr.com/tagged/a+tale+of+two+rulers/chrono)**. I had started Cycle a while back but lost the drive to continue it. However, after seeing someone else make such an amazing LoZ story, I felt inspired to continue my own. So thank you, FigmentForms, I wish you the best of luck. Check her out, readers! I promise, her works are worth a look.

 


	4. Bits and Pieces

Dragmire ran a hand through his hair as he woke, his eyes still closed. He turned onto his side and wished he could stay in the comfortable bed for an eternity. His memory of how he had gotten there was fuzzy. The last thing he clearly remembered was Princess Zelda leaning over him and ordering her guards to come to her aid.

"I must be in Hyrule Castle," he murmured to himself as he cracked his eyes open. The rest had done him some good, but he was parched and hungry. One thing at a time, though. He appeared to be in a full castle suite. Perhaps there was a bath.

He stood with some difficulty and found the door to a washroom. To his relief, there was a basin with a pitcher full of water beside it, towels, washcloths, and someone had drawn a bath in the stone tub. All he had to do was start the wood stove beneath it to heat the water. Before doing so, he removed his tattered shirt and boots, leaving him in his desert trousers.

After lighting the stove, Dragmire's gaze wandered to the mirror hanging over the basin. It currently reflected the bedroom outside the open door. He fidgeted, scared to step in front of it. 

_What do I look like without Ganon's influence over my body?_

Looking at his hands, he knew he no longer bore the green hued skin of the demon. But what about his other features? His hair? And how old was he?

_There is only one way to answer these questions..._

Bracing himself for all possibilities, Dragmire stepped in front of the mirror, but there was no way to prepare himself for what he saw. Dragmire nearly sobbed in relief and happiness as he felt his face, staring at himself in the mirror. He was as he had been before Ganon ever came into his life. His skin was once again the soft sun-tanned color of the Gerudos, and his irises were a gold-rimmed amber instead of blood red. Dragmire's body was no longer un-proportional and inhumanly bulky. He was lithe, still tall, and had a lean muscle build but broad chest and shoulders, just like when he was a young man. His face was slender and his fiery hair laid back in a short but wild wavy mop. The best parts, in his opinion, were that his eyebrows no longer grew from his hair and his nose, though they were still thin and rather pointy. It had been centuries since his last memory of looking so... normal. He was  _normal_  again. 

A boiling sound interrupted his euphoria. Dragmire cursed and quickly opened the valve on the stove, dowsing the flames. "Good Goddess, now I have to let the damn thing cool..."

Someone knocked at his bedroom door. He went to answer it, seeing as he had some time on his hands. To his surprise, it was Princess Zelda on the other side of the door. Her hair was left loose, falling to her shoulders, and she was wearing a simple white dress with blue and red embroidery at the hem and sleeves. "Good morning, King Dragmire." She held out a parcel that was neatly packaged in white cloth. "My father and I thought you could use a change of clothing. I'm glad I caught you before your bath," she told him as she gestured to the steam coming from the washroom.

"Princess Zelda, good morning- Wait, it is the next morning already!? I thought maybe it had only been an hour or two!"

"No." She shook her head, a faint smile playing on her lips. "May I come in?"

He nodded and held the door for her. "Er, forgive my... lack of apparel. It is not a very appropriate appearance for greeting a princess. If I had known-"

"If you had known, you still would not have been able to find something to wear." She handed him the parcel of clothing, which he set aside. "You have no reason to worru. It is nothing I haven't seen before." Dragmire raised his eyebrows, staring at her with a slight smirk as he tried to hide his amusement at her statement. Zelda's face went through three different shades of red as she realized what she had said. "Th-that isn't what I meant! Sometimes I accompany my father to watch the soldiers train, and many of them spar topless during the summer months," she explained quickly.

Dragmire chuckled. "I'm glad I am not the only one who has embarrassed themselves today. So, was I truly asleep for a full day?"

"You were. We were growing worried, actually." She smiled softly. "But you are awake now. When you are ready, you should go to the kitchens and have a meal. My father has business in court, but I can give you a tour of the castle grounds later. Or even the castle town, if you'd like. Until then, relax and make yourself at home." She headed towards the door. "Enjoy your bath," Zelda added before closing the door behind her.

Dragmire picked up the parcel and smiled as he unwrapped it.

For the first time in all of his lifetimes, he and the princess weren't enemies.

 

 

***

 

 

After his bath and a lovely meal with Zelda's kitchen staff, he found his way through the twisting corridors to Hyrule Castle's inner courtyard gardens.

It was a surprisingly simple garden, though beautiful nonetheless. Hedges lined the pale gray brick walls and a spiral path of rounded stepping stones led to a shallow pool of crystal clear water. Spatters of pink and yellow flowers grew around the small man-made pond, and a nearby tree had a white bench beneath it. Dragmire wandered around the garden before settling onto the bench and gazing up at the framed sky overhead. Clouds drifted into sight slowly. They were large and puffy and threatened rain, though the sky seemed too bright and blue for poor weather.

"How are you enjoying your stay so far, Desert King?"

The voice resonated with a memory from so long ago, he could barely recall the person it belonged to. Dragmire turned on the bench to see a tall, middle-aged woman with her graying hair tied up in a neat bun. She wore a blue face mask over the lower half of her face and a white tunic with the Sheikah crest on the front. 

"It's wonderful, thank you, Impa."

The woman's eyes widened and Dragmire resisted the urge to smack himself.  _You're the only one with memories of other timelines, you fool! Watch your tongue!_

"Forgive my shock," Impa said after a long pause. "I was not aware that you knew who I was, but I should have expected someone would inform you. However, I do operate in the shadows, so if you don't mind..."

"My knowledge of you stays silent, of course."

"Thank you. The princess asked me to check on you, as well as tell you that she will be free of obligations within the hour if you would like to take a walk to the town."

"I would. Where should I meet her?"

"The castle gates. Have a good rest of your morning, Desert King."

He nodded respectfully in response to her short bow and watched her go. Dragmire closed his eyes and tried to pull his most recent memory of her to the forefront of his mind.

 

***

_"Run, Impa!" Zelda cried at Impa, waving her away. There was reluctance in her eyes as she turned and ran in the opposite direction._

_Dragmire looked around them. They were in front of Hyrule Castle. He couldn't feel it, but he could see that the earth was shaking beneath them. Princess Zelda lost her footing and fell to the ground. Chasms started to open in the earth and shards of debris flew from the castle as cracks split up the walls._

_He stepped back and watched in horror as inky black smoke veined with red lightning poured from the chasms in the earth. There was an all-too-familiar screech of a boar as Ganon's ethereal head soared into the sky._

_The demon swarmed the castle and as it circled the final tower, it faced him and let out another deafening screech before charging forward._

***

 

Dragmire jolted to his feet with a gasp. A cold sweat had started to form on his brow and the air around him had an uncanny chill to it.

_Was that a memory... or a premonition?_

He wiped his forehead and glanced towards the sky. The sun had moved directly overhead- midday. The princess was surely waiting by now. Dragmire shook what he hoped was a recollection from his mind and went to find the gates.

_It was a memory. It had to be._

His footsteps echoed through the halls of the castle. He turned a corner, praying he still remembered the corridors correctly.

_That was Ganon but... I wasn't attached to him. I didn't see through_ his _eyes. Is it because I'm no longer his puppet?_

The guards at the main entrance saluted him as he walked outside. Dragmire could see Princess Zelda at the bottom of the hill, standing at the gates of the castle grounds. 

_Hylia, pray let that be the truth of it. If that was a premonition..._

"King Dragmire!" Zelda waved as she called to him. He smiled faintly at her enthusiasm. She seemed so... happy. In all his more recent memories of her, even when she was a child she had always seemed so tired beyond her years. The last time he had seen such a light in her eyes was before the timeline had split, before their pieces of the triforce had fused with them. He hoped her piece of the triforce remained dormant a while longer.

"Princess Zelda," he returned the greeting as he neared her. "I don't believe you need to call me by my title. We're of similar royal standing, aren't we?"

"I suppose we are... but you can't call me princess then," she added with a slight smirk as they started their walk. "It would hardly be fair otherwise."

"I suppose you're right," he chuckled and followed her past the gates.

_Is this really happening?_  He glanced at the princess as they walked side-by-side.  _Are we really talking as if we were friends?_

"I wanted to thank you for coming on a walk with me, Dragmire," Zelda said, her tone becoming more sullen. "I know I offered to show you around, but I will admit I just needed an excuse to get out of the castle for an afternoon."

"Had enough of the courtroom politics?"

"I've always had enough of that," she joked with a light laugh. "No... I've been having rather terrible nightmares. I won't bother you with the details, but they're rather troubling."

"And frequent?" he asked, his stomach twisting.

"I believe so. They mostly just leave me with an awful feeling and I only remember flashes of them, as if they were distant memories. You know, like when you try to remember an event from early childhood and you can't quite see clearly what you're trying to recall?"

Dragmire nodded, folding his hands behind his back. "I know the feeling all too well... I'm happy that I can serve as a distraction for the time being. They must be awful."

"Yes, but let's talk of something else. Is there anywhere in Hyrule that you would like to see?"

He looked into the distance, wondering if he would be able to see the church's tower among the clouds. "I heard a story or two about the Temple of Time."

Zelda gave him a surprised look. "That's quite a ways away."

"Is it?" he asked, feigning surprise of his own. "I'm sorry, I had no idea."

"That's all right." Her eyes lit up once more. "I'm sure I can think of a few of Impa's stories to pass the time."

Dragmire smiled softly and looked off toward the horizon while the princess told him a story of Hyrule that he was certain he had heard some lifetime before.

 

 


	5. An Afternoon on the Farm

"Stop your nipping, I'm almost done," Leif huffed, pushing Cloud's long, pale blue face away from his arm as she tried to nip at his arm again. Of all the horses on Lon Lon Ranch, Cloud was the only one that put up a fuss over bath time.

Leif dropped the brush into the water bucket and stepped back with a sigh. "There, we're done. You can leave now," he told her and patted her side. Cloud gave a contented snort and trotted away.

"Leif!" He turned at his name and saw Malon waving at him from pasture fence.

He waved back. Malon smiled and came over with a covered basket cradled in her arms. "I thought you might be nearly done with today's baths, so I brought some breakfast." She offered the basket with the sunlight bouncing off her hair and lighting up her eyes.

Leif returned the smile. "Thanks, Mel. Do you want to eat with me?"

"Of course." Her smile brightened. "I'd love to if you don't mind."

They both walked over to a tree in the pasture and sat beneath it. Leif helped Malon unpacking the food she had brought and immediately began eating once the picnic was laid out.

"It's going to be your birthday soon," he said through a mouthful of bread and brushed away a cucco that had come by to peck around for crumbs. "Do you think your father has anything special planned? I mean, it's a big year! He's gotta!"

Her shoulders slumped and her expression fell. Leif immediately regretted his enthusiasm as she spoke. "I think he won't even be here. And a big year for me means a scary year for him. I'll be old enough to have suitors and I doubt he'll let me get married any time soon. Though, I don't know who would want to with how sickly I've been this last year. I wonder if my father thinks I'll end up passing away like Mother..."

Leif swallowed his food and then leaned over to grip her shoulder. "Don't think like that, Malon. We know you have a long life ahead of you!"

"I'm not so sure..."

"Well, I am." Her gaze wandered to the ground and off into the distance at his words. He smiled softly and nudged her. "Come on. Don't think about it. Let's focus on a birthday wish."

"A birthday wish?"

"Yes. So. If you could do  _anything_  in the world, what would you do?"

"Malon!" Her father's voice boomed across the pasture.

Leif looked over and waved. "Good morning, sir!"

"Morning, Pa," Malon greeted him when Talon reached them.

Talon smiled at her and shot Leif a sour look from the corner of his eye. "Mornin', sweetie. I'm headin' off to the castle. Do you need anything? Will you be all right here?"

"Yes, I'll be fine, Pa. Have a safe trip."

He nodded. "I'll be back at dark. You best have all the chores done," he added, jabbing a finger at Leif. "No riding the horses while I'm gone and no funny business!" After a brief staring competition with Leif, the old farmer patted his daughter's head and walked off toward the winding path that led away from the ranch.

Malon watched him go and then turned back to Leif. "I know I shouldn't, but can I help you tend to the horses, Leif? It could be my birthday present. I've never been allowed to do much work on the ranch."

Leif pursed his lips a moment and then grinned as he jumped to his feet. "I have a better idea. Wait here." He ran over to the stable and returned with a saddle and blanket. "We're going to go to Kokiri Forest!"

 


	6. Updates are coming!!! An Author's Note

Let me just start with I am so very sorry for taking so long to update! I'm a full-time college student with not the greatest of life situations and I wasn't able to work on my writing, but I am finally back on it. My fanfictions aren't my priorities, but I will be updating them! My sincerest apologies to all of you for making you wait so long. I hope I can make the wait worth the while with the next flood of updates.

If you would like more of my writing in the meantime, please feel free to check out my other works on here or on my Wattpad page at: https://www.wattpad.com/user/VirgilCanWrite

I update Wattpad more frequently at the moment and post announcements there.

I hope to see you guys in the next chapter!


	7. The Temple of Time

Dragmire stopped and turned to look back over the rolling hills behind them as the Temple of Time's tallest steeple began to peek into sight. The castle was the size of a figurine in the distance. Lon Lon Ranch and some other stables were closer than the castle and its surrounding city. The soft green sea of grass stretching around them was tall and rippled in the wind. 

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Zelda asked him. "I don't have a chance to see this view very often."

"No?" Dragmire glanced at her, turning away from the expanse between them and the castle.

She shook her head. "It's a long walk and I often have other duties to attend to. My father has had me doing more and more as a royal lately."

"I'm glad you had the time to spare today, then."

"As am I." She smiled and nodded toward the path. "We should continue on. Nightfall will be here soon."

Dragmire followed her across a stone bridge. Three waterfalls poured from the slow-flowing river running under the bridge and spilled into the lake below. The path taking them to the Temple of Time wound up one last hill to a staircase built into the craggy beginnings of a mountain. Vibrant indigo blooms trailed alongside the path and occasionally poked through the cracks in the cobblestones. Ash trees were scattered all around them. Up ahead, he could see an old oak with a wide trunk and gnarled branches sitting at the bend in the road.

They passed a pond with fallen leaves drifting across the surface and green bass with orange fins that swam in short bursts. One broke the surface, launching itself briefly into the air to catch a bright pink dragonfly that had wandered too close to the water.

As they came to the bend, near the gnarled old oak sitting among the ash trees, columns came into sight. They stood at the top of the steps. As they climbed, a short stone fence started to line the path. Ivy suffocated the fence and the columns. Its smooth, dark leaves glistened in the sunlight. Delicate white flowers soon replaced the blue ones they had seen farther down the hill and were joined by clusters of small yellow blossoms.

"Hyrule is a truly beautiful kingdom," Dragmire said as they reached the top of the steps. He and Zelda had reached a circular grassy area with a stone fountain at its center. Ruins of smooth white bricks sat off to the right, opposite from the stairs that continued up to the Temple of Time. "What was that?" He gestured to the ruins.

The princess looked between him and the remains of what was likely a building. "I'm not entirely sure. It was destroyed before my lifetime, but perhaps an old map in the library has the original layout of whatever it was. And what you said just now? About Hyrule?"

"Yes?"

"I would like to see the Gerudo kingdom if you would ever be willing to take me or allow me to visit. I know it's a desert, but that is all I have ever heard about it. I've never even seen a depiction."

"I would be honored to take you some time. It's beautiful in a different way from Hyrule. Life is very precious in the desert and the oases are treasured, whereas here life is abundant. Both are truly gorgeous." He gave another look around and then they continued.

"What is it like to live in the desert?"

Dragmire felt a pebble bounce off the toe of his boot. It skittered across the step before tumbling over the side. "Difficult and harsh. But sometimes it is also lively and exhilarating. When my people have everything they need to survive, we thrive. We have festivals and markets and- when someone has met a worthy voe, a man, to marry- children run through the alleys making trouble. When it's done safely, wandering the dunes and seeing the plateaus can be an incredible experience. And then there's the night sky..." Dragmire felt a swell in his chest as he remembered the night sky of his homeland. It was a black ocean with blue and purple clouds painted behind billions of pinpoints of lights that ranged from silver to aquamarine to ruby red. "I have no words for the night sky, but I can assure you that it's breathtaking."

"Then I'll have to see it," Zelda told him with a determination that he had never seen in her. He remembered only the pain, the hatred, the hopelessness. It was a pleasant difference in the Cycle that he had once been so resigned to. He hoped it continued to change. "Would you teach me your language? I'm sure I could find books, but I would also like to learn from a native speaker."

Dragmire nodded and watched a butterfly as it crossed their path. It had orange wings with royal blue spots. "I would be happy to. Would you teach me Hyrule's view of history?" 

"Only if you teach me Gerudo's." Zelda seemed to have noticed the butterfly as well and they both stopped until it had fluttered out of view.

Dragmire smiled faintly and started up the next stretch of steps. "Of course. I noticed the ranches here have impressive stables, as well. We should go riding together when you have the time."

"That would be fun!" He heard Zelda trot up the steps. She walked beside him. Their hands were close enough to brush. "And I could bring you to some of the villages. There's so much more to see than just the Castle Town."

Clouds had rolled over the sky by the time they reached the temple. The sun wasn't set quite yet, but it was beginning to grow lower in the sky, or at least it was when he could still see it. The once white clouds were starting to turn gray and he could feel the rain on the breeze. 

The Temple of Time was just as he remembered it- a grand structure with a steeple that could pierce the sky. Ivy clawed at its walls and the history of the Cycle was etched into its walls. The glass windows reflected light, making them appear as if they were pools of black water. The iron bound door towered above them and was held close by a lock of monolithic but appropriate proportions. 

Before he could say anything, the Triforce of power began to burn in his hand. Dragmire sucked in air between his teeth and flexed his fingers. The pain intensified and shot up his arm, eventually making its way through the entirety of his body in agonizing waves. Dragmire cried out and fell to his knees, tightly gripping the wrist of his left hand as gold sparks erupted from the Triforce's mark on his skin. Black smoke followed the sparks as they started to arc across the back of his hand like miniature bolts of lightning. Soon the magic was filling the air around him and Zelda gave a startled yelp as she moved away from him. Red and white blotches clouded his vision and, as the pain grew worse, turned to darkness.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading my first post on Archive of Our Own! I hope you are enjoying the story so far. See you in the next chapter!  
> *Please note that I do not own the art used in this story. It was gathered on DeviantArt and other fan forums. To see full accreditation, please see the Acknowledgements chapter on Cycle on Wattpad (https://www.wattpad.com/story/117431833-cycle). The acknowledgements chapter will be added to this site at a later date.


End file.
